FRANKENMUTH, MI — Jabbing at a 10-foot-tall block of snow with a tool like a thin, elongated rake, Tom Gillman of Bay City spoke of the end goal: wide-eyed spectators walking past and pausing to say, "Wow."

Gillman, his son Jacob Gillman and niece Ali Gillman make up one of the many teams competing in the Michigan State Snow Sculpting Competition this week at the 23rd annual Zehnder's Snowfest in Frankenmuth.

Gillman, who is a chainsaw sculptor and handcarver, said this is the second year he and his son have competed at Snowfest. Ali Gillman, who lives in Grand Blanc, previously competed with her high school team and is now participating for the fourth time.

"It definitely helps you learn a lot about art," she said, explaining that snow carving makes her think about negative space and where each element is placed, because gravity is always a challenge.

The trio is sculpting what Tom Gillman describes as a "whimsical scene," featuring a toad, toadstool, fairy and tree with a face resembling that of a wood spirit.

He said keeping everything in the proper proportions and perspective is very important; his son had climbed atop the 360-cubic-foot mass of snow to pose as the fairy to help his father and cousin plan the design.

"You have to step back and plan it," Gillman said.

Last year, Gillman and his son, along with Ed Faust, won second place and the People's Choice Award with their sculpture, “Bears Decorating Tree.” Gillman noted there is added pressure to live up to last year's success.

Though that's not why they spend hours laboring at a piece of art that will be bulldozed after Snowfest ends on Monday, Jan. 27.

"As long as someone enjoys it, and we have fun as a family," he said.

Down the road at River Place, the Michigan High School Snow Sculpting Competition is swarming with students, sawing and shoveling their way through large blocks of snow.

Bangor Township John Glenn High School had two teams competing on Thursday, Jan. 23, under the guidance of art teacher Amy Pobanz.

Pobanz said the team began participating in the annual contest about 15 years ago, when she was a new teacher and the Zehnder family was inviting high schools to join the event.

"I thought it would be exciting for the kids to do," she said. "There aren't a lot of competitions where kids make art in public."

The first year, she said, they arrived with meager tools — shovels and brooms — but the process grew and evolved. Rob Sylvester, the husband of a counselor at the high school and craftsman, has been helping the teams for the past decade by building tools for students and advising them.

"It's a great time," Pobanz said of the event. "It's fun to watch them."

One of John Glenn's teams was designing a Lego-esque house, while the other was building a stand-in beach scene, with the heads cut out so visitors can put their faces atop two bodies and take pictures.

"We like to please the crowd," said senior Austin Bublitz, who is competing for his third year, adding that they like to make their sculptures interactive.

"(Snow) is a medium not a lot of people get to use," Bublitz said.

Across the aisle, Bay City Central students were working on sculpting a Transformer.

Art teacher Howard McLean said this is the second year he has brought Central students to the competition, though he worked with Nouvel in past years. He said Central used to compete years ago but its participation had fallen by the wayside.

He described their return as a "rebirth."

"The teamwork and problem-solving are my favorite parts," McLean said. "It's a good experience for the kids."